As one example of a substrate processing apparatus typified by a semiconductor manufacturing device, there has been known a device that heats a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer using a heating means such as a heat radiation lamp to perform a heat treatment such as annealing. JP2001-57344A discloses, as an example of such a device, a single substrate heat treatment apparatus that processes a substrate while rotating the substrate. The rotation of the substrate is performed for heating the substrate uniformly.
A single substrate heat treatment apparatus employs a rotating mechanism including a driven rotary member connected directly or indirectly to a substrate support member for supporting a substrate thereon, and a driving rotary member that rotates in contact with the driven rotary member to cause the driven rotary member and the substrate support member connected thereto to rotate together. For the material of the driven and driving rotary members which constitute such a rotating mechanism, a ceramic material such as silicon carbide (SiC) is used, so that the material can withstand a high temperature in the heat treatment apparatus that sometimes exceeds 1000° C.
In a semiconductor manufacturing device, including the heat treatment apparatus, it is an important subject to diminish the particle contamination of a semiconductor wafer which results in defective semiconductor devices. Particles produced from device parts disposed near a semiconductor wafer and from intra-chamber deposits are considered to be a main cause of the particle contamination. There have been taken various countermeasures to diminish particles. However, in the heat treatment apparatus equipped with the foregoing rotating mechanism, a considerable amount of particles are generated even if countermeasures against particle generation, e.g., periodical intra-chamber cleaning, are taken.